The only thing likely moving faster than the athletes Saturday at the Region III track and field championships was the number-crunching going on in Soldotna head coach Phil Leck’s head.

That’s because the Stars were able to record rare double team championships on home field.

The girls repeated as Region III champs, while the boys broke a lengthy region championship drought dating back 25 years. Both Soldotna coaches Leck and Galen Brantley Jr. speculated that the drought dated back to 1994, when SoHi featured a stacked group of athletes that also were able to win the state title as well.

“It’s a testament to the hard work and effort the kids put in,” Leck said.

At the Class 3A level, the Kenai Central girls gave the Kenai Peninsula a third team title, while the Kardinals boys grabbed second.

The Kenai girls won the crown with 302 points to beat Grace’s 274. On the boys side, Anchorage Christian won it with 306 points to runner-up Kenai’s 206.

The notion that the SoHi boys were on the verge of winning the title began materializing with just a handful of events left, but the high feelings really ramped up when junior Ben Booth crossed the line to win the boys 200, the penultimate event of the day. That combined with teammate Eli Craven’s third-place finish essentially clinched the team title for the Stars.

Team depth ultimately won the day for both the boys and girls programs, as Soldotna was able to score team points in all 34 combined events, a feat that filled Leck with pride.

“I don’t know the last time a team did that,” Leck said. “But when you do that, the points really add up.”

At the Class 3A level, held jointly with the 4A meet, the Kenai teams won eight girls events and two boys events.

The Kenai girls hauled in big points in the relay races, collecting three of the four relay victories to keep the team race close. The Kardinals won the 400-, 800- and 3,200-meter relays, and finished third in the 1,600-meter relay. Kylie-Anne Raye, Chelsea Plagge and Hayley Maw each notched two relay wins.

One of the bigger wins was that of junior Chelsea Plagge in the girls triple jump. Plagge’s new best leap of 34 feet, 4.75 inches, was not only a personal best but a school record as well. Kenai head coach Jesse Settlemyer said the old record of 33 feet, 1.5 inches, had stood for years, so Plagge’s feat was a long time coming.

The Homer girls were also able to pick up three event victories over the day to help the Mariners finish third in the 3A team standings. Junior Marina Carroll notched the 3A girls high jump victory with a leap of 4 feet, 10 inches, beating runner-up Bethany Carstens of Nikiski on a tiebreaker of fewest misses.

Carroll said receiving advice from her father and coach helped push her to that extra height in the end.

Kenai’s Tyler Hippchen competes in the Class 3A boys triple jump final Saturday, May 18, 2019, at the Region III Track and Field Championships in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna’s Holleigh Jaime races in the Class 4A girls 300-meter hurdles final Saturday, May 18, 2019, at the Region III Track and Field Championships in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Central’s Chelsea Plagge (right) hands off the baton to teammate Hayley Maw in the Class 3A girls 400-meter relay Saturday, May 18, 2019, at the Region III Track and Field Championships in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Central’s Elias Machen-Gray (left) and Seward’s Connor Spanos race in the Class 3A boys 100-meter final Saturday at the Region III Track and Field championships in Soldotna. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Nikiski’s Sidney Epperheimer passes the baton off to teammate Shylea Freeman in the Class 3A girls 800-meter relay Saturday at the Region III Track and Field championships in Soldotna. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna’s Kylie Ness (left) and teammate Sophie Thomas lead the pack over the first hurdle in the Class 3A girls 100-meter hurdles Saturday, May 18, 2019, at the Region III Track and Field Championships in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna’s Kylie Ness (left) and teammate Sophie Thomas lead the pack over the first hurdle in the Class 3A girls 100-meter hurdles Saturday, May 18, 2019, at the Region III Track and Field Championships in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)